History of anime

Anime

The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel,
Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog)
The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel,
Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog)
Portal:Anime and Manga
Anime and Manga Portal
For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin).

Anime (アニメ, Anime?) (IPA pronunciation: /ɑnime/ listen (help·info) in
Japanese, but typically /ˈænɪˌme(ɪ)/ or /ˈænəˌme(ɪ)/ in English) is an
abbreviation of the word "animation". Outside Japan, the term most
popularly refers to animation originating in Japan. To the West, not
all animation is considered anime; and anime is considered subset of
animation.

While some anime is hand drawn, computer assisted animation techniques
have become quite common in recent years. Like any entertainment
medium, the story lines represent most major genres of fiction. Anime
is broadcast on television, distributed on media such as DVD and VHS,
and included in computer and video games. Additionally, some are
produced as full length motion pictures. Anime often draws influence
from Japanese manga and light novels. Some anime storylines have been
adapted into live action films and television series.
Contents
[hide]

* 1 History
* 2 Terminology
o 2.1 Etymology and Pronunciation
o 2.2 The Anime Definition
o 2.3 Syntax and morphology
o 2.4 Synonyms
* 3 Characteristics
o 3.1 Genres
o 3.2 Style
* 4 Anime beyond Japan
o 4.1 Early anime in the United States
o 4.2 Current reception in the United States
o 4.3 Commercial appeal
o 4.4 Licensing
o 4.5 Fansubs
o 4.6 Influence on Western animation
* 5 Notes
* 6 References
* 7 See also
o 7.1 Online encyclopedias
o 7.2 Terminology
o 7.3 Licensing and translation
o 7.4 Lists
* 8 External links

History

Main article: History of anime

Astro Boy, star of the long-running science fiction anime series of
the same name.
Astro Boy, star of the long-running science fiction anime series of
the same name.

The history of anime begins at the start of the 20th century, when
Yamamoto experimented with the animation techniques that were being
explored in France, Germany, United States and Russia.

Animation became popular in Japan as it provided an alternative format
of storytelling compared to the underdeveloped live-action industry in
Japan. Unlike America, where live-action shows and movies have
generous budgets, the live-action industry in Japan is a small market
and suffered from budgeting, location, and casting restrictions. The
lack of Western-looking actors, for example, made it next to
impossible to shoot films set in Europe, America, or fantasy worlds
that do not naturally involve Asians. The varied use of animation
allowed artists to create characters and settings that did not look
Japanese at all.[1]

During the 1970s, there was a surge of growth in the popularity of
manga comics — which were often later animated — especially those of
Osamu Tezuka, who has been called a "legend"[2] and the "god of
manga".[3][4] As a result of his work and that of other pioneers in
the field, anime developed characteristics and genres that are
fundamental elements of the art today. The giant robot genre (known as
"mecha" outside Japan), for instance, took shape under Tezuka,
developed under Go Nagai and others, and was revolutionized at the end
of the decade by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Robot anime like Gundam and Macross
became instant classics in the 80s, and the robot genre of anime is
still one of the most popular in Japan and worldwide today. In the
1980s, anime was accepted in the mainstream in Japan, and experienced
a boom in production (It should be noticed that, Manga has
significantly more mainstream exposure than anime in Japan). The
mid-to-late '90s, on into the 2000s, saw an increased acceptance of
anime in overseas markets.

Terminology

Etymology and Pronunciation

Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode.
See IPA chart for English for a pronunciation key.

The Japanese term for animation is アニメーション (animēshon, pronounced:
ɑnime:ɕoɴ), written in katakana. It is a direct transliteration and
re-borrowed loanword (see gairaigo) of the English term "animation."
The Japanese term is abbreviated as アニメ (anime, pronounced: ɑnime).
Both the original and abbreviated forms are valid and interchangeable
in Japanese, but as could be expected the abbreviated form is more
commonly used.

The pronunciation of anime in English differs significantly from
Japanese. The first vowel is further forward in English than Japanese:
æ is more likely than ɑ. As English and Japanese stress words
differently, the second vowel is likely to emerge as an unstressed
schwa (ə or [[I]] in English, whereas in Japanese each syllable
carries equal stress. As with a few other Japanese words such as
Pokémon and Kobo Abé, anime is sometimes spelled as animé in English
with an acute accent over the final e to cue the reader that the
letter is pronounced as Japanese e. However, this accent does not
appear in romanized Japanese, and English native speakers may produce
[[eI]].

The Anime Definition
An example of the anime drawing style
An example of the anime drawing style

Linguistically, the anime definition is subject to interpretation. In
Japan, the term does not specify an animation's nation of origin or
style; instead, it is used as a blanket term to refer to all forms of
animation from around the world.[5] In English, main dictionary
sources define anime as "a Japanese style of motion-picture animation"
or "a style of animation developed in Japan".[6] Thus, non-Japanese
works are sometimes called anime-influenced animation if they borrow
stylistically from Japanese animation.

In western countries the word is used usually only to refer to
animated programming of Japanese origin, with the term "cartoon" or
"animated series" used for most other visual styles. The online anime
database AniDB generally defines anime (in the singular form) as "an
animated, professionally produced, feature film created by a Japanese
company for the Japanese market".[5] However, some anime are
co-productions with non-Japanese companies like the Cartoon Network.
Thus, anime is no longer specific to the Japanese market.

Syntax and morphology

Anime can be used as a common noun, "Do you watch anime?" or as a
suppletive adjective, "The anime Guyver is different from the movie
Guyver." It may also be used as a mass noun, as in "How much anime
have you collected?" and therefore is never pluralized "animes" (nouns
are never pluralized in Japanese). However, in other languages where
anime has been adopted as a loan word, it is sometimes used as a count
noun in singular and in plural as in Danish "Jeg tror, jeg vil se en
anime" ("I think I'll watch an anime") and "Hvor mange anime'er har du
nu?" ("How many animes do you have now?").

Synonyms

Anime is sometimes referred to as Japanimation, but this term has
fallen into disuse. Japanimation saw the most usage during the 1970s
and 1980s, which broadly comprise the first and second waves of anime
fandom, and had continued use up until before the mid-1990s anime
resurgence. In general, the term now only appears in nostalgic
contexts. The term is much more commonly used within Japan to refer to
domestic animation. Since anime or animēshon is used to describe all
forms of animation, Japanimation is used to distinguish Japanese work
from that of the rest of the world.

In more recent years, anime has also frequently been referred to as
manga in European countries, a practice that may stem from the
Japanese usage: In Japan, manga can refer to both animation and comics
(although the use of manga to refer to animation is mostly restricted
to non-fans). Among English speakers, manga usually has the stricter
meaning of "Japanese comics". An alternate explanation is that it is
due to the prominence of Manga Entertainment, a distributor of anime
to the US and UK markets. Because Manga Entertainment originated in
the UK the use of the term is common outside of Japan. The portmanteau
"animanga" has been used to collectively refer to anime and manga,
though it is also a term used to describe comics produced from
animation cels.

Characteristics
Dragon Ball Z (1989) is a popular shōnen anime based on original manga
with 291 episodes and 13 movies.
Dragon Ball Z (1989) is a popular shōnen anime based on original manga
with 291 episodes and 13 movies.

Anime features a wide variety of artistic styles. They vary from
artist to artist or by studio to studio. They are generally
characterized by detailed backgrounds and stylized characters in a
variety of different settings and storylines, aimed at a wide range of
audiences.

Genres

Anime has many genres typically found in any mass media form. Such
genres include action, adventure, children's stories, comedy, drama,
erotica (hentai), medieval fantasy, occult/horror, romance, and
science fiction.

Most anime includes content from several different genres, as well as
a variety of thematic elements. This can make it difficult to
categorize some titles by genres. A show may have a seemingly simple
surface plot, but at the same time may feature a far more complex,
deeper storyline and character development. It is not uncommon for an
action themed anime to also involve humor, romance, and even social
commentary. The same can be applied to a romance themed anime in that
it may involve an action element, or in some cases brutal violence.

The following is a list of the major genres and designations that are
specific to anime and manga.[7]
For other possible genres, see cinematic genre.

* Bishōjo: Japanese for 'beautiful girl', blanket term that can be
used to describe any anime that features pretty girl characters, for
example Magic Knight Rayearth.
* Bishōnen: Japanese for 'beautiful boy' blanket term that can be
used to describe any anime that features "pretty" and elegant boys and
men, for example Fushigi Yūgi and most CLAMP shows.
* Ecchi: Derived from the pronunciation of the letter 'H,'the
first letter of the word 'Hentai'. Japanese for 'indecent sexuality'.
Contains mild sexual humor, and some fan service, for example Love
Hina and He Is My Master.
* Hentai: Japanese for 'abnormal' or 'perverted', and used by
Western Audiences to refer to pornographic anime or erotica. However,
in Japan the term used to refer to the same material is typically
Poruno or Ero. Example: La Blue Girl, MeruPuri.
* Josei: Japanese for 'young woman', this is anime or manga that
is aimed at young women, and is one of the rarest forms. Example:
NANA.
* Kodomo: Japanese for 'child', this is anime or manga that is
aimed at young children, for example Doraemon. Hello Kitty, Keropi and
Panda-Z are other examples.
* Robot/Mecha: Anime or manga featuring super robots, examples:
Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion.
* Moé: Anime or manga featuring characters that are extremely
perky or cute, for example A Little Snow Fairy Sugar and Akazukin
Chacha.
* Progressive: "Art films" or extremely stylized anime, for
example Voices of a Distant Star or Byōsoku 5 Centimetre.
* Seinen: Anime or manga targeted at teenage or young male adults,
for example Oh My Goddess!, Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop.
* Sentai/Super Sentai: Literally "fighting team" in Japanese,
refers to any show that involves a superhero team, for example Cyborg
009.
* Shōjo: Japanese for 'young lady' or 'little girl', refers to
anime or manga targeted at girls, for example Fruits Basket, "Mermaid
Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch"
o Mahō shōjo: Subgenre of shōjo known for 'Magical Girl'
stories, for example Sailor Moon.
* Shōnen: Japanese for 'boys', Shōnen is like Seinen, but refers
to anime or manga targeted at younger boys, for example Dragon Ball Z
or Naruto .
o Mahō shōnen: Male equivalent of Mahō Shōjo, for example DNAngel.
* Shōjo-ai/yuri: Japanese for 'girl-love', refers to anime or
manga that focus on love and romance between female characters, for
example Revolutionary Girl Utena and Kannazuki no Miko. It is often
being replaced by the term "Girls Love" (GL).
* Shōnen-ai/Yaoi: Japanese for 'boy-love', refers to anime or
manga that focus on love and romance between male characters. The term
"Shōnen-ai" is being phased out in Japan due to its other meaning of
pederasty, and is being replaced by the term "Boys Love" (BL). An
example of this style is Loveless.

Some anime titles are written for a very specific audience, even
narrower than those described above. For example, Initial D, Wangan
Midnight and éX-Driver concern street racing and car tuning. Ashita No
Joe is about boxing. Hanaukyo Maid Team is based on the French maid
fantasy.

Style
An example of FLCL's wild, exaggerated stylization.
An example of FLCL's wild, exaggerated stylization.

While different titles and different artists have their own artistic
styles, many stylistic elements have become so common such that they
are described as being definitive of anime in general. These elements
have been given names of their own. The anime drawing style can be
learned, particularly with the aid of books such as How to Draw Manga.
Such books come complete with information and instructions on the
styles used in anime.

A common approach is the large eyes style drawn on many anime
characters, credited to the influence of Osamu Tezuka, who was
inspired by the exaggerated features of American cartoon characters
such as Betty Boop and Mickey Mouse and from Disney's Bambi. Tezuka
found that large eyes style allowed his characters to show emotions
distinctly. Cultural anthropologist Matt Thorn argues that Japanese
animators and audiences do not perceive such stylized eyes as
inherently more or less foreign.[8] When Tezuka began drawing Ribbon
no Kishi, the first manga specifically targeted at young girls, Tezuka
further exaggerated the size of the characters' eyes. Indeed, through
Ribbon no Kishi, Tezuka set a stylistic template that later shōjo
artists tended to follow. Another variation of this style is "chibi"
or "super deformed"; which usually feature huge eyes, an enlarged
head, and small body.

Other stylistic elements are common as well; often in comedic anime,
characters that are shocked or surprised will perform a "face fault",
in which they display an extremely exaggerated expression. Angry
characters may exhibit a "vein" or "stressmark" effect, where lines
representing bulging veins will appear on their forehead. Angry women
will sometimes summon a mallet from nowhere and strike someone with
it, leading to the concept of Hammerspace. Male characters will
develop a bloody nose around their female love interests (typically to
indicate arousal, based on an old wives' tale).[9] Embarrassed
characters will invariably produce a massive sweat-drop, which has
become one of the most widely recognized stereotype motifs of anime.

The degree of stylization varies from title to title. Some titles make
extensive use of common stylization: FLCL, for example, is known for
its wild, exaggerated stylization. In contrast, titles such as Only
Yesterday, a film by Isao Takahata, take a much more realistic
approach, and feature no stylistic exaggerations.

Anime beyond Japan

Early anime in the United States

The United States saw its first exposure to anime in September of
1963, when NBC syndicated a dubbed version of the Japanese series
Astro Boy. Not counting such Japanese/American co-productions as The
King Kong Show and Johnny Cypher in Dimension Zero[1], only seven more
anime TV series were released in the United States in the 1960s. These
were 8 Man (1965), Gigantor (1966), Kimba the White Lion (1966),
Prince Planet (1966), Marine Boy (1966), The Amazing 3 (1967) and
Speed Racer (1967). Speed Racer would be the last anime series
released in the United States until 1978 when the 1972 series Kagaku
ninja tai Gatchaman was adapted for American audiences as Battle of
the Planets.[10] Many anime series that made it to American television
from the 1960s through the 1980s tended to be sci-fi or
action-oriented, such as Star Blazers (the English dub of Space
Battleship Yamato) and Robotech and Voltron (both Americanized
amalgamations of unrelated anime series cobbled together into a single
story).

As the 1980s wore on, more anime series and films targeted at very
young children also found their way to U.S. TV screens, often on cable
television channels or in syndication. Nickelodeon broadcast many
mostly Canadian-made English dubs of anime films during its early
years, including TV series such as Mysterious Cities of Gold,
Adventures of the Little Koala, Belle and Sebastian, The Adventures of
the Little Prince, Noozles, Maya the Bee, Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics,
and The Littl' Bits, many of which were aired on "Nick Jr.", the
network's block of programming for very young viewers. The Disney
Channel broadcast both of the feature-length anime films starring
Osamu Tezuka's popular unicorn character Unico, and CBN redubbed and
broadcast its Bible-based anime TV series co-produced with Tatsunoko,
Superbook and The Flying House. HBO also showed juvenile-targeted
anime on occasion, including TV series such as Tales of Little Women,
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Saban's
Adventures of Pinocchio and feature films such as Gisaburo Sugii's
1974 Jack and the Beanstalk.

A great many anime films and feature-length TV series compilations
were also released direct-to-video in the U.S., and were often
available for rental at mainstream video stores. Some titles which
were distributed in the U.S. in this fashion included Candy Candy,
Captain Future, Angel, Serendipity the Pink Dragon, Taro the Dragon
Boy, Robby the Rascal (Cybot Robotchi), and Ninja the Wonder Boy
(Manga Sarutobi Sasuke).

For the most part, though, these TV series and films were not actively
promoted as being of Japanese origin; in fact, many of them went so
far as to remove most or all Japanese names from the credits except
for credits to the animation studios. In the series themselves,
character names were often changed and Japanese cultural references
removed to make them more accessible to English-speaking audiences. In
the late 1990s and early 2000s, this trend began to change as more
openly Japanese works, such as Sailor Moon, Dragonball Z, Pokémon,
Yu-Gi-Oh, and Gundam Wing, achieved mainstream popularity on American
television. Although many of these shows did undergo some kind of
"Americanization" in the form of character name changes and edits for
violence, language, and the occasional nudity, viewers were more aware
of the shows' country of origin, which might perhaps pique their
curiosity to seek out other works in a similar style.

Current reception in the United States

AnimeNation's John Oppliger had this to say on the matter:

The support for anime among American anime fans is very strong.
The availability of anime in America is truly impressive, especially
within the anime fan community. Awareness of Japanese animation in
America is at an all time high. However, mainstream acceptance of
anime in America lags far behind the advances anime has made in other
respects. A close examination of the support for anime on American
television may provide a revealing and realistic gauge of the actual
penetration of anime into America and American culture. Anime may seem
like it's tremendously successful in America because its high profile,
but the facts tell another story.

According to AC Nielsen, Pixar's The Incredibles sold 16 million
copies on DVD in America last year. Shark Tale sold nearly 10 million
copies. Even the DVD release of Bambi sold 6 million copies in 2005.
In comparison, all three Inuyasha movies combined have sold just over
1 million copies in the past year and a half. Evidently, the success
of anime in America is very relative. American anime fans are very
devoted. Through underground means hardcore American fans now have
access to brand new Japanese anime before even many Japanese residents
do. America's anime fan community is influential because it's
affluent, intelligent, and motivated. But it's not very large.[11]

Despite assessments like that, and its rare and limited release in
American theaters, anime's legitimacy and respect in North America has
grown well enough to garner major native artistic awards such as the
Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2002 for Spirited Away by
Hayao Miyazaki. Anime has a dedicated fan following in English
speaking countries, particularly active on the internet, and at
conventions regularly held throughout the US and UK.

Commercial appeal

Anime has become commercially profitable in western countries as early
commercially successful western adaptations of anime, such as Astro
Boy, have revealed.[12] The phenomenal success of Nintendo's
multi-billion dollar Pokémon franchise[13] was helped greatly by the
spin-off anime series, which, first broadcast in the late 1990's, is
still running worldwide to this day.

Licensing

Main article: Anime licensing

Anime is available outside of Japan in localized form. Licensed anime
is modified by distributors through dubbing into the language of the
country. The anime may also be edited to alter cultural references
that may not be understood by a non-Japanese person and certain
companies may remove what may be perceived as objectionable content.
This process was far more common in the past (e.g. One Piece), when
anime was largely unheard of in the west, but its use has declined in
recent years because of the demand for anime in its original form.
This "light touch" approach to localization has proved popular with
fans as well as viewers formerly unfamiliar with anime. The popularity
of such methods is evident by the success of Naruto and Cartoon
Network's Adult Swim programming block, both of which employ minor
edits. The "light touch" approach also applies to DVD releases as they
often include both the dubbed audio and the original Japanese audio
with subtitles, are typically unedited. Anime edited for television is
usually released on DVD "uncut," with all scenes intact.

Anime has also been a commercial success in Asia, Europe and Latin
America; where anime has become even more mainstream than in the
United States, for example the Saint Seiya video game was released in
Europe due to the popularity of the show even years after the series
has been off-air.

Fansubs

Main article: Fansub

Although it is a violation of copyright laws in many countries, some
fans watch fansubs, recordings of anime series that have been
subtitled by fans. Watching subtitled Japanese versions, though not
necessarily downloaded fansubs, is seen by many enthusiasts as the
preferred method of watching anime. The ethical implications of
producing, distributing, or watching fansubs are topics of much
controversy even when fansub groups do not profit from their
activities and cease distribution of their work once the series has
been licensed outside of Japan.

It is also agreed by many fans that fansubs are occasionally superior
to subtitles on released DVDs in US, as the subtitles are easier to
read and the subtitles on the songs often include sing-along style
subtitles, often with a theme associated with the show.[citation
needed]

Influence on Western animation

Main article: Anime-influenced animation

Some Western animation use anime methods described in anime physics.
Such examples exist in Totally Spies!, The Boondocks, W.I.T.C.H. and
Teen Titans. In addition, works such as Avatar: The Last Airbender
featured Asian themes. While these examples are not particularly
considered as anime, they are best noted for being "influenced by
anime".